AGING WITH AN INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY - A REVIEW OF CANADIAN LITERATURE

The movement away from institutional care to community living, along w ith improved nutrition and health care, has led to an increased lifesp an for individuals with intellectual disabilities. In Canada, those wh o were born before 1945 represent the first significant group to grow old. Despite the increasing numbers of these individuals, relatively l ittle is known about them, their life experiences, or their needs. The y remain a largely invisible, undervalued, and often overlooked popula tion, and are seldom the focus of new policy or program initiatives. T his review of Canadian literature reports on issues related to the pre valence, life expectancy and early aging of individuals with intellect ual disabilities, describes the impact of changes in social policy on their life experiences, outlines the needs and expectations of older a dults and their families and, finally, suggests future directions for policy development and research in Canada.